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.  JUN  17   196P 

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A  DISCOURSE 


ON    THE 


TRANSFIGURATION  OF  CHRIST. 


E- 


^  .    ~L^  KJ\ 


DISCOURSE 


ON    THE 


TRANSFIGURATION 


OP 


CHRIST. 


ALBANY: 

PRINTED  BY  C.  VAN  BENTUUYSEN. 

1859. 


.  • 


SERMON. 


-♦♦- 


MARK  IX.  2. 
He  was  transfigured  before  them. 

"Without  controversy,  great  is  the  mystery 
of  godliness :  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh." 
If  there  be  any  wonder  greater  than  the  incar- 
nation of  the  Son  of  God,  it  is  the  humiliation 
and  suffering  which  characterized  his  life  upon 
the  earth.  Though  the  only  begotten  and  well 
beloved  of  the  Father,  equal  with  Him  in  honor 
and  glory,  the  joy  and  admiration  of  Heaven, 
loved,  reverenced  and  adored  by  Angel  and 
Archangel,  by  Cherubim  and  Seraphim,  and 
by  all  the  holy  and  good  in  the  universe ;  his 
life  upon  the  earth  was  nevertheless  a  life  of  the 
deepest  abasement.  He  was  despised  and 
rejected  of  men,  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief.  Poor — poorer  than  the  birds  of  the 
air  and  the  beasts  of  the  field,  for  they  had 
their  nests  and  their  lairs ;  but  "  the  Son  of 
Man  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head".; — depend- 
ent for  his  support  either  upon  his  own  exertions 


or  upon  the  kindness  of  friends ;  frequently 
called  to  endure  in  their  worst  forms,  cold  and 
hunger  and  thirst  and  fatigue  ;  treated  with 
indifference  and  scorn,  with  shame  and  con- 
tempt ;  cruelly  mocked  and  scourged  and  spit 
upon ;  and,  finally,  put  to  an  ignominious  and 
painful  death,  by  those  he  had  befriended,  and 
whom  he  came  to  save  ; — he  presents  to  us  an 
object  of  the  greatest  wonder.  Can  this  be  the 
Son  of  God  ?  Where  are  the  proofs  of  his 
divinity  ?  How  is  it  possible  for  us  to  believe 
that  this  poor,  despised,  way-worn  sufferer  is 
the  Messiah,  of  whom  the  Prophets  speak  ?  I 
answer,  throughout  his  life  of  humiliation  and 
suffering,  in  the  midst  of  the  deejDCst  abasement 
and  the  sorest  agony,  there  were  manifestations 
of  his  glory — manifestations  which  prove  unde- 
niably and  incontestably  his  divinity.  His 
birth,  his  baptism,  his  temptation,  his  agony  in 
the  garden,  his  crucifixion  on  Calvary,  which 
were  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  his 
humiliation,  were  accompanied  with  the  most 
remarkable  displays  of  his  exaltation  and  glory. 
And  not  only  at  these  marked  periods,  but  also 
in  the  midst  of  his  ministry,  which  was  itself  a 
continued  humiliation,  there  was    given  this 


same  kind  of  evidence,  this  same  manifestation 
of  divine  glory.  To  this  the  text  refers.  The 
transfiguration  of  Christ  was  the  drawing  aside 
of  the  vail  which  concealed  the  glory  of  his 
Godhead,  and  a  decisive  proof  of  his  Messiah- 
shij).  There  shone  in  him  and  about  him  such 
an  effulgence  of  glory,  and  there  was  given  in 
the  voice  from  Heaven  such  signal  evidence  of 
the  approval  of  God,  that  no  one  contemplating 
that  scene  can  entertain  for  a  moment  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt  that  He  was  and  is  what  He 
claimed  to  be — the  Christ — the  Son  of  God. 

The  narrative  given  by  the  different  Evan- 
gelists of  this  remarkable  event  in  the  life 
of  our  Saviour  is  both  interesting  and  instruct- 
ive. 

Let  us  review  the  narrative,  as  gathered 
from  the  sacred  records,  and  consider  some  of 
the  lessons  taught  by  it. 

An  account  of  the  transfiguration  is  given  by 
three  of  the  Evangelists,  Matthew,  Mark  and 
Luke  ;  and  is  alluded  to  in  the  writings  of  the 
fourth.  In  regard  to  all  the  main  and  essential 
points  they  agree.  There  is  nothing  like  con- 
tradiction between  them.  The  accounts  are  not, 
however,  copies  of  one  another,  but  independent 


descriptions,  by  different  persons,  of  the  same 
transaction ;  and,  as  is  natural  Avhere  different 
persons  relate  the  same  fact,  certain  details 
and  particulars  are  mentioned  by  one,  which 
are  passed  over  in  silence  by  the  others.  We 
are  expressly  informed  as  to  the  time  when  the 
transfiguration  took  j)lace.  ^  The  Evangelists 
unite  in  saying  it  was  six  days  after  what  was 
previously  recorded. 

The  reference  here  made  is  to  a  remarkable 
conversation,  recorded  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, in  which  Christ  had  endeavored  to  remove 
the  erroneous  views  entertained  by  his  disci- 
ples, in  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  kingdom 
He  came  to  establish,  and  had  opened  their  eyes 
with  reference  to  the  humiliation  which  awaited 
Him,  telling  them  that  "the  Son  of  Man  must 
suffer  many  things,  and  be  rejected  of  the  elders, 
chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and 
after  three  days  rise  again."  No  doubt  they 
felt  saddened  and  much  discouraged  by  what 

*  Luke  saj's  it  was  "  about  an  eight  days  after  these  sayings," 
(Luke  ix.  28.) — meaning  it  -was  tliat  day  seven-night,  six  whole  days 
intervening,  and  it  was  the  eighth  day.  Though  there  may  be  a 
seeming,  yet  there  is  no  real,  contradiction  between  the  Evangelists 
in  reference  to  the  time  of  the  transfiguration,  for  evidently  they  all 
refer  to  the  same  time, — six,  or  about  eight,  days  after  what  waspre- 
viously  recorded. 


He  told  them;  and,  in  all  probability,  one 
object  of  his  transfiguration  Avas  to  revive  their 
drooping  spirits,  strengthen  their  faith  and 
advance  their  views  of  his  character  and  office. 
However  this  may  be,  it  is  very  evident  from 
the  fact  they  are  so  precise  in  regard  to  the 
time,  that  the  strange,  wondrous  sight  they 
beheld  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  im- 
printed itself  indelibly  on  their  memories,  for 
their  account  Avas  written  at  least  thirty  years 
after  the  occurrence  had  taken  place. 

"  And  after  six  days,  Jesu.s  taketh  Peter, 
James,  and  John,  his  brother,  and  bringeth 
them  up  into  an  high  mountain  apart."  The 
name  and  situation  of  this  mountain  are 
unknown,  and  must  remain  unknown,  for  the 
description  given  of  it  is  so  general  that  it  is 
impossible  to  ascertain  what  mountain  it  was. 
From  its  being  spoken  of  as  "an  high  moun- 
tain," it  is  commonly  supposed  to  be  Mount 
Tabor,  which  is  the  highest  mountain  in  Galilee. 
It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  many  of  the  most 
important  incidents  in  the  life  of  our  Lord, — 
his  transfiguration,  sufferings,  death,  ascen- 
sion, took  place  on  mountains,  and  also  that 
it   was    his    custom    to  ascend  mountains  for 


8 

prayer.  It  is  also  worthy  of  remark  that 
Moses  and  Elijah,  who  appeared  with  Christ 
in  glory,  are  associated  in  our  minds  with 
mountains.  We  never  think  of  Moses  without 
thinking  of  Mount  Sinai,  and  calling  to  mind 
the  forty  days  and  forty  nights  he  spent  on 
that  mountain,  holding  intercourse  with  God. 
We  never  think  of  Elijah  without  thinking  of 
Mount  Horeb,  where  God  revealed  Himself  to 
the  disheartened  prophet,  not  in  the  whirlwind, 
or  earthquake,  or  fire,  but  in  the  still,  small 
voice.  Though  we  are  not  informed,  and  can- 
not determine,  why  God  has  chosen  mountain 
summits  as  most  suitable  places  for  a  revelation 
of  Himself,  yet  we  may  reasonably  conclude  it 
was  chiefly  because  of  their  solitude  and  remo- 
val from  interruption. 

The  witnesses  of  Christ's  transfiguration 
were  Peter,  James  and  John.  Three  were 
chosen,  because  they  were»a  sufficient  number 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  fad  of  the  transfigu- 
ration, for  the  law  required  no  more  than  two 
or  three  witnesses  to  constitute  a  regular  and 
judicial  proof:  "  out  of  the  mouth  of  two  or 
three  witnesses  shall  every  word  be  estab- 
lished."    These  three  were  chosen,  because  they 


9 

were  the  chief  of  the  disciples  and  the  special 
favorites  of  Christ.  From  the  number  of  the 
twelve,  who  were  tliemselves  chosen  from  the 
great  bod}-  of  his  disciples,  Christ  selected  three 
to  be  his  stated  followers,  and  admitted  them  to  a 
more  peculiar  intimacy  than  the  rest ;  and  even 
of  these  three  there  was  one  who  lay  as  it  were 
in  his  bosom,  and  was  called  "  the  disciple 
whom  Jesus  loved."  Christ  has  thus  thrown  a 
charm  and  a  sacredness  around  human  friend- 
sliijDs,  by  manifesting  the  same  attachments  as 
are  common  among  men.  When  He  lived,  a 
man,  ujDon  the  earth,  He  had  his  friends. 

Towards  evening,  Christ,  with  his  disciples, 
arrives  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Tabor.  Leaving 
the  body  of  his  followers  below,  and  taking  with 
him  only  the  three  favored  ones,  he  ascends  the 
mountain,  seeking  its  retirement  and  solitude 
for  the  purpose  of  prayer.  While  He  is  engaged 
in  pra3'er,  the  disciples,  under  the  pressure  of 
fatigue,  fall  asleep.  The  toils  of  the  past  day, 
and  their  solemn  situation  amidst  the  loneliness 
of  night,  upon  a  mountain,  with  the  Saviour 
apart,  conspire  to  produce  drowsiness  and  wea- 
riness. Luke  says  '*  they  were  heavy  with 
sleep."     Suddenly  they  are  roused  by  a  glare 


10 

of  light,  and  to  their  amazement  they  perceive 
that  a  great  change  has  passed  over  their  Mas- 
ter. He  is  transfigured  before  them.  The 
fashion  of  his  countenance  is  altered;  "  meek- 
ness has  given  way  to  majesty,  sadness  to  daz- 
zling glory,  the  look  of  pity  to  the  grandeur  of 
a  God."  The  perfect  splendor  of  the  sun  adof  ns 
his  face  and  person,  and  the  rays,  streaming 
through  his  garments,  make  them  exceeding 
white  and  glistening,  as  white  as  snow,  as 
white  as  the  light,  so  as  no  fuller  on  earth  could 
whiten  them. 

It  would  seem  as  if  Heaven  had  come  down 
to  earth,  for  surely  Heaven's  brightness  and 
Heaven's  glory  encircle  that  consecrated  spot, 
and  all  around  the  Saviour's  form  there  flows 
an  atmosphere  of  strange  and  wondrous  beauty. 
So  amazed  and  overwhelmed  are  the  disciples 
with  the  glorious  appearance  of  their  Lord  that 
at  first  they  see  naught  else  but  Him ;  but  soon 
they  discover  He  is  not  alone.  There  beside 
Him,  wrapped  in  the  same  shining  vestments, 
stand  Moses  and  Elias.  Awe-struck,  they  gaze 
and  listen,  and  soon  voices  and  words  reach 
their  ear.  They  hear  the  subject  of  discourse 
between  the  o-lorified  three,  and  to  their  amaze- 


ri 

ment  learn  it  is  tire  sufferings  and  death  of  the 
one  who  has  summoned  the  others  from  the 
spirit-world  to  take  part  with  Him  in  his  glory. 
"  And  behold,"  says  the  sacred  record,  "there 
talked  with  Him  two  men,  which  were  Moses 
and  Elias,  who  appeared  in  glor}^,  and  spake  of 
his  decease,  which  He  should  accomplish  at 
Jerusalem."  Peter  can  remain  silent  no  longer. 
With  characteristic  impetuosity,  he  gives 
expression  to  his  excited  feelings  in  the  words, 
"Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here  :  if  Thou 
wilt,  let  us  make  here  three  tabernacles ;  one 
for  Thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias." 
Macknight  suggests  the  idea  that  the  disciples 
may  have  supposed  that  Christ  would  now  prove 
Himself  the  King  expected  by  the  jDeojDle, 
and  excite  the  popular  favor  by  exhibiting 
Himself  in  this  heavenly  pageantry  ;  and  Peter 
offered  to  prepare  a  pavilion  for  his  Sovereign, 
and  others  for  his  two  renowned  companions. 
But  it  was  a  hasty  speech,  for  he  uttered  it,  as 
Luke  tells  us,  "  not  knowing  what  he  said." 
While  Peter  is  still  speaking,  a  bright  cloud 
overshadows  them.  Jesus,  with  Moses  and 
Elias,  enter  it,  and  are  thus  enclosed  as  in  a 
sanctuary,  while  the  disciples  stand  without. 


12 

This  cloud  was  a  token  of  God's  jDeculiar  pre- 
sence ;  it  was  in  a  cloud  that  God,  in  former 
days,  took  possession  of  the  tabernacle  and 
temple  ;  and  we  are  told  that  when  the  cloud 
"  covered  the  tabernacle,  Moses  was  not  able 
to  enter,"  and  when  it  filled  the  temple,  "  the 
priests  could  not  stand  to  minister  by  reason 
of  it." 

No  wonder  the  disciples  were  afraid  to  enter 
a  cloud  thus  filled  with  the  divine  presence, 
and  moreover  made  vocal  by  the  voice  of  God, 
saying,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased  :   hear  ye  Him." 

When  they  saw  this  cloud,  and  heard  this 
voice,  "  they  fell  on  their  face,  and  were  sore 
afraid."  Christ,  observing  their  fear,  comes  to 
their  relief.  He  "  touched  them  and  said,  arise, 
be  not  afraid."  "  It  is  not  the  voice  of  an 
angry  God,  but  of  God  well  pleased  with  Me, 
and  in  Me  with  you ;  it  is  the  voice  of  my  God 
and  your  God,  of  my  Father  and  your  Father ; 
arise,  stand  on  your  feet,  be  of  good  courage  ; 
no  harm  shall  befall  you." 

"And  when  they  had  lifted  up  their  eyes, 
they  saw  no  man,  save  Jesus  only."  The  bright 
cloud  had  melted  into  thin  air,  Moses  and  Elias 


13 

were  departed,  the  dazzling  splendor  of  the 
Saviour's  appearance  had  ceased,  and  they  four 
remained  such  as  they  were  when  they  came 
up  into  the  mountain.  As  they  returned,  Jesus 
commanded  them  not  to  divulge  the  transac- 
tion until  he  should  rise  from  the  dead.  Upon 
this,  there  followed  an  interesting  conversation 
with  respect  to  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy  in 
the  coming  of  Elias.  Fully  convinced  from 
what  they  had  seen  and  heard  that  their  Mas- 
ter was  the  Messiah,  the  disciples  ask,  "How 
then  say  the  scribes  that  Elias  must  first  come?" 

The  meaning  of  the  question  is  this  :  "  Since 
Thou  art  the  Messiah,  how  is  it  that  Elias,  as 
we  have  now  seen  him,  did  not  precede  Thee?" 
He  replied  that  Elias  truly  should  come  first, 
and  restore  all  things ;  but  that  already  an  Elias 
had  appeared  in  John  the  Baptist. 

Such  is  the  account  of  the  transfiguration  of 
Christ,  as  gathered  from  the  sacred  records. 
It  may  be  called  the  most  striking  miracle  there 
recounted,  and  will  well  repay  the  further 
inquiry  and  reflection  we  may  give  it. 

There  are  many  important  truths  taught  or 
illustrated  by  the  transfiguration  of  Christ. 


14 

1.  We  are  taught  tlie  future  glory  of  Christ. 
His  appearance  on  the  Mount  of  Transfigura- 
tion was  a  representation  of  the  glory  with 
which  He  will  be  invested,  when,  at  the  end 
of  the  world,  he  shall  a  second  time  appear 
upon  the  earth.  In  the  conversation  with  his 
disciples,  recorded  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
Jesus  had  told  them  that. the  Son  of  Man  would 
come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  with  the  holy 
angels,  and  would  reward  every  man  according 
to  his  works.  The  transfiguration  was  a  pic- 
ture or  exemplification  of  this. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  John,  in  his 
vision  of  Heaven,  beholding  the  glory  of  Christ, 
describes  his  appearance  in  nearly  the  same 
terms  as  are  employed  to  describe  his  glory  on 
the  mount.  "  His  head  and  his  hair  were  white 
like  wool,  white  as  snow  ;  and  his  countenance 
was  as  the  sun  shineth  in  his  strength."  Luke 
calls  his  appearance,  after  being  transfigured, 
"  his  glory."  John,  who  was  himself  present 
at  this  appearance,  gives  it  the  same  name : 
"We  beheld  his  glory,  as  of  the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father."  And  Peter,  who  was  another 
witness  to  the  transaction  on  the  mount,  refers 
to  it  by  a  similar  expression  :  "  For  He  received 


15 

from  God  the  Father  honor  and  glory,  when 
there  came  such  a  voice  to  Him  from  the  excel- 
lent glory,  '  this  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased.' "  The  appearance  of 
Christ,  when  He  shall  come  the  second  time, 
will  be  Godlike.  Language  is  inadequate  to 
express  the  splendor  and  majesty  which  will 
adorn  his  face,  encircle  his  person,  and  make 
his  way  one  of  dazzling  brightness  and  terrible 
power. 

He  will  not  come  as  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem, 
as  the  despised  Nazarene,  as  the  man  of  sor- 
rows, as  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus  ;  but  as  the 
King  of  Kings  and  the  Lord  of  Lords ;  and  will 
appear  with  all  the  ensigns  of  majesty  and  regal 
dignity  that  become  his  character  as  Judge  of 
the  quick  and  the  dead.  Llis  first  coming  was 
in  the  meanness  of  sinful  flesh — his  second 
coming  will  be  in  the  glory  of  God.  At  his 
first  coming,  He  was  attended  by  a  few  poor 
and  despised  fishermen — at  his  second  coming, 
He  will  be  attended  by  a  retinue  of  the  myriads 
of  his  saints  and  by  all  the  holy  angels. 

2.  We  are  taught  the  doctrine  of  a  general 
resurrection.  The  transfiguration  of  Christ 
points  forward  to  the  completion  of  his  work, 


16 

viz.:  his  resurrection.  The  power  which  dwelt 
in  Him  from  the  beginning,  and  whereby,  after 
his  sufferings.  He  subdued  death  and  corruption, 
was,  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  suffered 
to  shine  forth  through  the  dark  vale  of  the 
flesh,  as  a  type  and  pledge  of  his  future  com- 
plete and  abiding  glorification.  But  the  doc- 
trine of  the  resurrection  is  taught  more 
clearly  by  the  fact  that  there  appeared  with 
Christ  on  the  mount  two  persons  who  had  many 
years  before  departed  out  of  the  world, 
Moses  and  Elias.  The  one  had  been  dead 
nearly  fifteen  hundred  years,  and  the  other 
about  nine  hundred.  That  they  actually 
appeared  in  their  own  .proper  persons,  there  is 
no  reason  to  doubt.  Some  have  even  gone  so 
far  as  to  suppose  that  the  body  of  Moses  did 
not  see  corruption,  but  was  reserved  for  this 
appearance.  The  supposition  is  indeed  possi- 
ble, but  there  is  neither  ground  nor  necessity 
for  it.  It  is  true,  we  know  not  where  his  sepul- 
chre was,  but  we  know  his  body  was  actually 
hurled,  and  in  all  probability  it  underwent  the 
usual  change  of  nature  ;  and,  as  the  whole 
transaction  was  miraculous,  it  was  just  as  easy 
for  Omnipotence  to  restore  life  and  form  to  a 


17 

body  mouldered  into  dust,  as  to  reanimate  a 
body  preserved  uncorrupted  and  entire.  "With 
God  all  things  are  possible." 

From  the  flict  that  the  Bible  everywhere 
represents  Christ  as  "the  first  fruits  of  them 
that  slept,^"  we  may  infer  that  Moses  was  not 
finally  raised.  Like  Lazarus  and  others,  who, 
to  serve  some  wise  purpose  of  God,  were  sum- 
moned from  the  sleep  of  death,  Moses  returned 
to  the  grave's  repose,  there  to  wait  till  the 
morning  dawn,  when  "  all  that  are  in  the  grave 
shall  hear  the  voice  of  Christ,  and  shall  come 
forth,  they  that  have  done  good  unto  the  resur- 
rection of  life,  and  they  that  have  done  evil 
unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation."  Of  the 
glorious  change  of  the  dead  in  Christ,  Moses, 
at  the  transfiguration,  was  the  type. 

Elias  did  not  die,  but  was  translated.  He 
was  taken  to  Heaven  without  tasting  death. 
Doubtless  his  change  was  wrought  "  in  a 
moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,"  when  the 
chariot  and  the  horses  of  fire  parted  him  from 
the  earth,  and  he  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into 
Heaven  ;  it  was  then  that  "  the  corruptible  put 
on  incorruption,  and  the  mortal  put  on  immor- 
tality."    Elias  was  thus  a  type  of  those  believ- 


18 

ers  who  will  be  found  alive  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment. Paul  teaches  that  not  all  will  sleep  in 
the  grave:  some  will  be  living  on  the  earth 
"  at  the  last  trump";  but  all  who  are  Christ's, 
whether  living  or  dead,  will  be  changed,  will 
relinquish  the  image  of  the  earthly  for 
the  image  of  the  heavenly.  "  If  we  believe 
that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so, 
them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus,  will  God 
bring  with  Him.  For  the  Lord  Himself  shall 
descend  from  Heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of 
God ;  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.  Then 
we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught 
up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet 
the  Lord  in  the  air;  and  so  shall  we  ever  be 
with  the  Lord." 

There  is  another  truth  connected  with  the 
resurrection,  taught  us  by  the  transaction  on 
the  mount — a  most  interesting  and  precious 
truth :  we  shall  know,  and  hold  intercourse 
with  one  another  in  Heaven.  We  are  not 
informed,  and  therefore  cannot  determine, 
whether  our  future  bodies  will  be  composed  of 
exactly  the  same  materials  which  compose  them 
now ;  probably  they  will  not,  but  we  know  there 


19 

will  be  such  a  resemblance  between  them  and 
our  present  bodies,  that  we  can  call  them  our 
own,  and  others  will  recognize  them  as  ours. 
Moses  and  Elias  were  together  with  Christ  on 
the  mount,  and  held  communion  Avith  each 
other.  They  were  known  and  recognized  by 
the  disciples  who  witnessed  the  transfiguration. 
May  we  not  infer  from  this  that  the  saints  in 
Heaven  will  know  one  another?  The  happiness 
of  Heaven  is  a  social,  not  a  selfish  or  solitary 
joy.  God  has  made  us  social  beings,  and  a 
great  part  of  our  happiness  in  this  life  is  derived 
from  the  attachments  we  here  form;  and  as 
God  will  not  destroy  what  He  Himself  has 
made,  and  what  He  has  pronounced  as  good, 
we  may  reasonably  expect  that  if  we  love  each 
other  in  the  Lord  on  earth,  we  will  do  so  in 
Heaven.  But,  oh,  how  much  stronger,  purer, 
holier  will  be  our  intercourse  above  !  What 
friendship)  of  earth  is  not  sometimes  marred  by 
doubts,  apprehensions,  suspicions?  The  friend- 
ships of  Heaven  will  be  free  from  all  such 
imperfections.  Language  is  too  Aveak,  and  im- 
agination too  poor,  to  portray  or  even  to  conceive 
the  intimacy  of  intercourse,  the  promptness  of 
communication,  and   the  sympathy  of  feeling 


20 

we  will  enjoy  in  heaven,  where  all  our  duties 
anil  employments  will  dispose  us  to  love,  where 
doubts  and  suspicions  never  enter,  where  affec- 
tions never  grow  cold  or  attachments  grow 
weak,  where  the  very  atmosphere  we  breathe 
is  love. 

3.  The  transfiguration  of  Christ  teaches 
another  truth  intimately  connected  with  what 
we  have  been  considering,  viz.:  the  doctrine 
of  a  future  retribution. 

Christ  told  his  disciples  that  when  lie  would 
come  in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  with  the  holy 
angels,  he  would  reward  every  man  according 
to  his  works.  And  we  are  elsewhere  informed 
that  "  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive  the 
tilings  done  in  his  body,  according  to  that  he 
hath  done,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad."  It  is 
true,  the  righteous  in  that  day  will  not  be 
acquitted  on  the  ground  of  their  good  works, 
but  still  these  will  be  presented  as  evidences 
of  their  interest  in  the  righteousness  of  Christ, 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  evil  deeds  of  the 
wiclvcd  will  be  brought  forward,  not  only  as  evi- 
dences ofthcir  being  strangers  to  Christ,  but  also 
as  the  grounds  of  their  condemnation.    To  those 


21 

on  his  right  hand  the  King  will  gay,  "  Come 
ye  blesBed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  3'ou  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world/'  To  those  on  his  left,  "Depart  from 
me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlafcting  fire,  prepared 
for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  "These  shall 
go  away  into  everlasting  punishment,  but  the 
righteous  into  life  eternal." 

We  have  an  emblem  or  representation  of  this 
doctrine  in  the  fact  that  Moses  and  Elias 
appeared  with  Christ  in  glory — a  glory  some- 
what similar,  we  may  suppose,  though  far 
inferior  to  that  with  which  Christ  was  invested. 
Both  Moses  and  Elias  were  eminently  devoted 
men.  Tlirouirh  a  lon^r  life,  thev  labored  much 
and  suffered  much  in  the  service  of  God.  They 
proved  themselves  true  and  faithful  men  in  the 
midst  of  a  perverse  generation,  and  did  all  in 
their  power  to  teach  men  their  duty  both  to 
GiA  and  man.  AVere  they,  while  they  lived, 
rewarded  for  their  devotion  and  fidelity  ?  By 
no  means.  It  was  not  till  their  labors  on  earth 
were  ended,  and  thev  had  reached  Heaven,  that 
the  crown  of  glory  encircled  their  brow.  Their 
appearance  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration 
was  a  representation  of  the  glorified  state  of 


22 

the  saints  in  Heaven.  Brethren,  in  what,  think 
you,  will  our  reward  or  glory  consist  ?  It  will 
be  in  our  being  made  like  Christ,  and  being 
forever  with  Him.  These  vile  bodies  will  be 
changed,  and  will  be  fashioned  like  unto  his 
glorious  body,  and  we  shall  be  forever  and  ever 
with  our  Lord. 

With  this  scene  before  us,  and  engaged  in 
such  contemplations,  well  may  we  break  forth  in 
the  glowing  language  of  an  eminent  writer  :* 
"  Glorious  and  blessed  day  !  when  the  meanest 
of  the  saints  shall  resemble  Moses,  not  in  that 
green  and  lively  old  age,  which  exjDcrienced 
not  dimness  of  eyes  nor  abatement  of  natural 
vigor,  but  in  that  renovated  youth,  that  unfad- 
ing beauty,  that  impassive  strength,  that 
immortal  lustre,  wherein  on  the  Mount  of  the 
Lord  he  was  seen ;  and  shall  resemble  Eli  as, 
not  by  mounting,  with  the  help  of  a  chariot  and 
horses  of  fire  into  Heaven,  but  with  native  force 
immediately  derived  from  the  great  source  of 
life  and  motion,  shall  spontaneously  ascend  up 
to  his  native  seat,  and  shall  resemble  Christ, 
his  divine  head,  not  in  that  sinless  infirmity  to 
which  He  voluntarily  submitted  in  the  days  of 

*  Henry  Hunter,  D.  D. 


23 

his  flesh,  but  in  that  glory  whicli  He  had  with 
the  Father  before  the  world  was,  and  wliieh  lor 
a  moment  burst  forth  on  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration, '  when  his  lace  did  shine  as  the  sun 
and  his  raiment  was  white  as  the  light.'  Glo- 
rious and  blessed  Gospel !  which  first  taught 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  which  has 
'abolished  death,  and  brouiiht  life  and  immor- 
tality  to  light,'  whose  '  exceeding  great  and 
precious  promises'  make  men  '  partakers  of  a 
divine  nature,'  whose  hallowed  page  represents 
saints  and  angels  quitting  their  heavenly  abode 
to  minister  to  the  necessities  of  wretched  mor- 
tals, and  wretched  mortals  rising  to  the  ever- 
lasting possession  of  heavenly  thrones :  '  0 
death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  0  grave,  where  is 
thy  victory  ?  Thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth 
us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  " 
4.  We  learn  from  the  Transfiguration  of 
Christ  the  abrogation  of  the  Mosaical,  and  the 
establishment  of  the  Evangelical,  dispensation. 
On  the  mount  there  appeared  in  the  persons 
of  Moses,  Elias  and  Christ,  the  representatives 
of  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Gospel.  And 
in  the  fact  that  they  were  together,  holding 
communion  with  one  another,  we  learn  there 


24 

is  no  contradiction  or  hostility  between  the 
two  dispensations.  The  Law  and  the  Gospel 
there  clasped  hands,  and  Prophecy,  the  con- 
necting link,  bound  them  closer  together.  In 
Christ,  the  Law's  requirements  were  answered 
and  Prophecy  fulfilled.  But  while  this  is  true, 
we  are  clearly  taught  the  superiority  of  the 
Christian,  and  the  cessation  of  the  Jewish,  dis- 
pensation. When  the  three  disciples  saw 
Moses  and  Elias  conversing  familiarly  with 
Jesus,  they  doubtless  considered  them  as  of 
equal  dignity  and  authority  ;  and,  under  this 
impression,  Peter  proposes  to  make  three  taber- 
nacles, one  for  Christ,  and  one  for  Moses,  and 
one  for  Elias.  How  is  the  proposition  received? 
It  is  answered  by  a  bright  cloud  overshadowing 
them,  and  by  a  voice  from  that  cloud,  saying, 
"  this  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased:  hear  ye  Him." 

At  the  giving  of  the  Law,  on  Mount  Sinai, 
God  appeared  in  a  cloud,  but  the  cloud  was 
dai^k  and  thick,  and  there  were  "  thunders  and 
lightnings,  and  the  voice  of  the  trumpet  exceed- 
ing loud,  and  all  the  people  that  were  in  the 
camp  trembled.''  At  the  transfiguration,  on  the 
contrary,  the  cloud  was  bright,  the  whole  scene 


25 

luminous  .and  transporting,  and  naught  was 
heard  but  a  voice,  a  still  small  voice,  and  that 
not  ushered  in  with  a  strong  wind  or  an  earth- 
quake or  fire,  as  when  God  spoke  to  Elias — the 
voice  of  the  Father  expressing  delight  in  his 
beloved  Son. 

Does  not  this  point  out  the  characteristic 
difference  between  the  two  dispensations,  and 
show  the  superiority  of  the  latter?  The  former, 
from  its  severity,  was  calculated  to  excite  ter- 
ror ;  the  latter,  from  its  gentleness,  to  inspire 
love. 

And  what  was  the  meaning  of  that  voice  from 
Heaven,  if  it  were  not  that  the  Jewish  must 
give     way    to    the    Christian     dispensation? 
"  This  is  My  beloved  son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased :    hear   ye    Him."      Matthew   Henry 
strikingly  observes :   "  Moses  and  Elias  were 
great  men,  and  favorites  of  Heaven,  yet  they 
were  but  servants,  and  servants  that  God  was 
not  always  well  pleased  in  ;    for  Moses  spoke 
unadvisedly,  and  Elias  was  a  man  subject  to 
passions ;  but  Christ  is  a  Son,  and  in  Him  God 
was  always   well  pleased.      Moses  and  Elias 
were  sometimes  instruments  of  reconciliation 
between  God  and  Israel ;    Moses  was  a  great 


26 

intercessor,  and  Elias  a  great  reformer  ;  but  in 
Christ  God  is  reconciling  the  world ;  his  inter- 
cession is  more  prevalent  than  that  of  Moses, 
and  his  reformation  more  effectual  than  that 
of  Elias."  Hear  ye  no  longer  Moses  or  Elias, 
but  Him  and  Him  only.  He  is  henceforth  to 
be  your  Lord,  your  Legislator,  your  King. 
The  ceremonial  law  must  cease,  and  Moses  and 
the  Prophets  give  way  to  Christ. 

As  soon  as  these  words  were  uttered,  Moses 
and  Elias  disappeared,  that  Christ  might  be 
all  in  all.  They  left  their  thrones  in  Heaven, 
and  bringing  with  them  their  golden  crowns, 
laid  them  at  Jesus'  feet ;  to  Him  they  jDointed 
as  the  one  in  whose  light  they  shone,  and  from 
whom  came  all  their  glory  ;  and,  with  John  the 
Baptist,  each  exclaimed,  "  He  that  cometh  after 
me  is  preferred  before  me,  whose  shoes'  latchet 
I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose."  "  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world." 

Thus,  in  the  presence  of  Moses  and  Elias, 
representatives  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets, 
the  Gospel  is  established,  and  thus  they  both 
confess  Him  whom  they  typified  and  predicted. 
Brethren,  can  we,  gazing  on  this  scene,  hear- 


27 

iiig  this  voice,  beholding  this  example,  with- 
hold our  praise  and  homage  ?  0,  let  us  joyfully 
bend  the  knee  to  Ilini  before  whom  bowed 
Moses  and  Elias  in  willing  homage,  acknow- 
ledging Ilim  greater  than  they ;  let  us  cheer- 
fully worship  Him  whom  the  angels  are  com- 
manded to  worship,  who  has  created  all  things, 
and  upholds  all  things,  and  who  is  over  all  and 
above  all,  "  God  blessed  forever." 

We  have  thus  reviewed  the  narrative  of  the 
transfiguration  of  Christ,  and  have  considered 
some  of  the  lessons  which  it  teaches — the  future 
glory  of  Christ,  the  doctrine  of  a  general  resur- 
rection, the  doctrine  of  future  retribution, 
and  the  abrogation  of  the  Mosaical,  and  estab- 
lishment of  the  evangelical,  dispensation. 

There  are  several  inferences,  which  flow 
naturally  from  the  subject  discussed,  to  which, 
in  conclusion,  I  call  your  attention. 

1.  How  diversified  are  the  states  of  God's 
people  upon  earth  !  Though  the  three  disci- 
ples were  exalted  to  the  very  Heavens  in  point 
of  privilege,  in  being  permitted  to  witness  the 
unveiling  of  Christ's  glory  on  the  mount,  yet 
this  exaltation  was  of  brief  duration,  for  soon 
they  had  to  descend  into  the  valley  again,  and 


28 

to  go  "  through  much  tribulation  in  their  way 
to  the  kingdom."  Thus  is  it  with  all  the  people 
of  God.  Their  life  is  at  best  a  checkered  scene; 
joy  is  quickly  followed  by  sorrow.  If,  some- 
times, we  are  favored  with  special  manifesta- 
tions of  divine  grace,  glimpses  and  pledges  of 
future  glory,  yet  they  are  never  of  long  contin- 
uance ;  they  are  soon  Avithdrawn,  for  "  two 
Heavens  are  too  much  for  those  to  expect  that 
never  deserve  one."  We  must  come  down 
from  the  mountains,  where  we  have  communion 
with  God,  and  take  delight  in  that  communion, 
and  of  which  we  are  saying  "  it  is  good  to  be 
here";  for  even  then  we  have  no  continuing 
city.  Blessed  be  God,  there  is  a  mountain  of 
glory  and  joy  before  us,  whence  we  shall  never 
come  down,  and  when  we  have  reached  that 
mountain  we  may  say  with  an  emphasis,  "it  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here."  We  shall  need  no 
tabernacles,  for  we  shall  dwell  in  the  temple 
of  our  God,  and  shall  go  no  more  out  forever. 
2.  If  Moses  and  Elias  left  Heaven  to  converse 
with  Christ  in  regard  to  the  decease  which  He 
should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem,  surely  that 
subject  is  of  the  greatest  importance.     And  if 


29 

it  occupied  their  thoughts  and  attention,  surely 
it  should  occupy  ours. 

The  most  vital  doctrine  of*  the  Gospel  is  the 
doctrine  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world 
to  die — to  die,  not  as  a  mere  example  or  wit- 
ness of  the  truth,  but  as  the  atonement  for  sin. 
It  is  by  the  blood  oi  Christ  that  the  Church  has 
been  purchased  ;  it  is  by  the  blood  of  Christ 
that  the  guilt  of  sin  has"  been  removed  and  our 
consciences  purified  from  dead  works  to  serve 
the  living  God.  The  death  of  Christ  is  a  sub- 
ject in  which  are  found  the  inexhaustible  trea- 
sures of  divine  wisdom  and  knowledge,  a  sub- 
ject  which  fills  Heaven  with  wonder,  and  which 
eternity  itself  will  not  be  sufficient  to  unfold. 
And  yet  this  subject  is  "  to  the  Jews  a  stum- 
bling block,  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness."  0 
how  little  does  it  occupy  our  thoughts  and  fill 
our  souls  !  Brethren,  let  us  determine  to  know 
nothing  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified, 
and  to  glory  in  nothing  but  his  cross. 

3.  If  we  would  have  our  bodies  made  like 
unto  the  glorious  body  of  Christ,  we  must  be 
like  Him  in  the  spirit  and  temper  of  our  minds. 
We  must  be  redeemed  Ijy  the  blood  of  Christ, 
and  be  renewed  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ;  these 


30 

cold  and  stony  hearts  must  be  taken  away,  and 
hearts  of  flesh  given  us  in  their  stead  ;  we  must 
die  unto  sin  and  live  unto  holiness,  and  then 
shall  "we  all  with  open  face,  beholding  as  in  a 
glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  be  changed  into  the 
same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 

Why,  then,  need  we  fear  the  hour  of  death  ? 
He,  whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve,  is  the 
resurrection  and  the  life.  Whosoever  believeth 
in  Him,  though  he  be  dead,  shall  live  again. 
As  He  lives  we  shall  live  also.  He  has  gone 
to  prepare  a  place  for  us.  In  his  Father's 
many  mansions,  there  is  a  home  provided  for 
each  one  of  his  followers ;  and  when  He,  who 
is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall  we  also 
appear  with  Him  in  glory.  Brother  Christian, 
death  may  be  very  near  you,  but  be  not  dis- 
mayed. "  Look  on  the  transfiguration,  with 
all  its  doctrine  and  all  its  comfort ;  behold  in 
that  vision  the  glory  of  thy  heavenly  reward  ! 
In  this  bright  view,  let  faith  quicken  her  wing, 
and  greet  the  Saviour  with  the  inspired  wel- 
come, '  Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus.'  " 


4'^    ..  •'T'fl^ 


Syrocui*,  r«.    ' . 
Stockton,  Coin. 


DATE  DUE 


NTCDINU    •  » 


w 


BS2424.5.061 

A  Discourse  on  the  transfiguration  of 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


^A 


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1   1012  00053  0719 


